Sounding-board bridge.



PATBNTED JUNE 19, 1906.

N'. M; ONG. SOUNDING BOARD BRIDGE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.l3, 1905.

Inventor.

Attorneys Riel/M0725.

iii z mw i2 WWW UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE. N THAN EL M. oNe, or YORK, PENNSYLVANIA. I SOUNDING-BOARD BRIDGE. I

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. June 19, 1906.

Application filed November 18, 1905. Serial No."287,116.

' citizen of the United States, residin at York,

in the county of York and State 0 Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Sounding-Board Bridge, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to pianofortes, and more especiall to the construction of the bridges and t e method of attaching the same to the sounding-board, the principal object of the invention being to rovide a bridge which will permit full and ee vibration of the entire sounding-board.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sounding-board bridge that is provided with attaching-feet arrangedin staggered relation and connected to the surface of the sounding-board in any suitablemanner, so as to reduce the contact area of the bridge to the greatest extent, and, further, to so arrange said connecting-feet as to graduall increase the distance between the feet an in crease the area of such feet from the bass to the treble end of the bridge.

With these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafter appear, the invention consists in certain nove features ofconstruction and arrangement of parts hereinaf ter fully described, illustrated in the accompanyin drawings, and particularly pointed out in t e appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Fi re 1 is a face view of asounding-board provi ed with a bridge constructed in accordance with the invention. .Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same on the line 2 2 of Fi 1. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view 0 a portion of the treble bridge detached. Fi 4 is a similar view of the bass bridge detac ed.

Similar characters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding arts throughout! the several figures of the diaw- .111 s.

Ihe sounding-board A is of the usual construction and is provided on its rear face with the usual diagonally-arranged ribs B.

On the front of the sounding-board is secured the bridge 10, formin the subject of the present invention. This ridge is formed of wood or other suitable material arranged on the usual compound curve and is slightly wider at the bass than at the treble end. The bridge is provided with attaching-feet 12,

that are disposed in staggered relationthat is to say, occur alternately on opposite sides of the bridge from one end to the other, so that the surface area in contact with the sounding-board will be reduced to a minimum and the board will be perfectly free to vibrate. These attaching-feet are secured to the board by glue or otherwise and are arranged at points directly opposite the point of connection of the strengthening-ribs B. The distance between the feet gradually decreases from the treble toward the bass end of the bridge, and the area of the feet at the bass end of the bridge is greater than the area at the treble end in order to form a support proportioned to the weight of the strings. 1

Below the treble bridge is arranged 'a bridge 10 for the overstrung wires, and in this case the attaching-feet are preferably arranged opposite each other, owing to the fact.

that the ridge is a comparatively short one. The acoustic properties of this bridge are further developed by grooving or channeling the lower face of the bridge,.as indicated at 15 in Fig. 4., the channel in this case being straight as distinguished from the relatively tortuous channel that is formed by the staggered feet of the treble bridge; but-in both cases there is a free channel between the brid e and the board, and the vibrations of the atter will not be interfered with to the same extent as where-the bridge is attached throughout its length to said board.

.Havin thus described the invention, what is claime is-' 1. In a pianoforte, a sounding-board, and a bridge, the latter having a continuous longitudinal channel formed in its lowerface and being further provided with spaced feet for attachment to the sound-board. o

2. A sounding-board, and a bridge, said bridge having staggered attaching-feet.

3. A sounding-board bridge having staggered attaching-feet arranged at graduallydecreasing distances from the treble to the bass end of the bridge.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

NATHANIEL M. ONG.

Witnesses:

. H. B. BIBBY,

EDWARD Saws. 

